


Ink and Metal

by FantasyLover14



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9495944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasyLover14/pseuds/FantasyLover14
Summary: Twenty five year old Pepper Johnson is running a base of around three hundred people when one day two of her brothers spot Rick's group. After authorizing them to deem whether or not the group is a threat, she begins to consider letting them in the underground compound. When deemed non-threatening they're brought to the compound where sparks fly between the heavily tattooed and pierced rebel, and ex sheriff. Rick thinks he can never get in another relationship after losing his wife but begins to re-think that decision when he meets Pepper. Follow them as they get to know eachother, and as that spark from the beginning flares into a wild fire of romance, sex, and sarcastic humor.





	1. Chapter One- Serva me, servabo te

Chapter One

**Rick’s POV**

Adjusting Judith in my arms we continued walking down the long stretch of road. No conversations, no noise, nothing. Just complete and utter silence. Glancing down at Carl I was hit with a mixture of pride and sadness. Pride for the fact that he was still here and still determined to live. Sadness because his childhood was ripped from his arms when the dead began walking the earth. Sighing I turned my eyes back to the road ahead of us. Who knows where it will take us. I just hope that maybe we’ll find some kind of peace. We already lost Beth, Hershel, Tyreese, and Bob. Not to mention losing Lori. Taking a deep breath I surveyed the area around us before making a decision.

“We’ll stop here for half an hour. Hour at max. Get some rest, we’re gonna need it.” I said. Within a few minutes we were all sitting in the shade, small conversations here and there taking place. That’s when we heard it, people arguing.

  
“If you had just listened to me we wouldn’t be turned around now would we?” Snapped the first voice. Alert we all quickly and quietly stood moving to protect Carl and Judith.

  
“Shut you mouth dickhead, it’s not my fault we’re out here blame Pepper.” Drawled voice number two. Walking out from the tree line about ten feet in front of us were two men who looked like identical twins. Standing at maybe six foot four they looked to be rather muscular. Wearing dark brown and green clothes they would easily blend in with the forest.

  
“Still don’t know why we don’t just kill the fucker, it would make our lives easier as it is.” That’s when they spotted us. Raising their eyebrows they grinned at us.  
“Hi there. I’m Jack and this is my twin brother John.” Greeted the one on the right. None of us responded. Looking at each other the one on the left, John I think, waved and took a step forward. Raising my gun a little higher I looked to the side to see Daryl aiming his crossbow at them. Same with the rest of the group and their weapons.

  
“We’re from a group that’s led by our sister and a council. We saw y’all walking around and decided to follow you for a few days to see if you’d be good fit in our little community.” John stated. What the hell?

  
“You were following us? How the hell didn’t we see you?” Barked Abraham. Looking at one another briefly they looked back at us.

  
“When we don’t wanna be seen, we aren’t seen. Now if you’re interested in coming with us here’s some pictures of the compound that will hopefully sway you.” Jack said, walking toward me with a photo-album in his hands. Tensing up I slowly lowered my gun before taking the photo-album from him. Once it was safely in my hands he backed up to stand next to his brother looking completely relaxed. Backing up a bit I opened it and began leafing through the pictures. It appeared to be underground, with electricity and running water judging by the fact that someone was washing dishes.

  
“How do we know we can trust you?” Daryl asked. Smiling at us, John answered the question rather boredly.

  
“Because y’all have a baby and we have kids at our compound, you can see most of them in the pictures at some point. Hell I got a baby girl at home that i’m dying to get back to.” Looking through the pictures again I looked up at Daryl debating on whether or not this was a good idea.

  
“Gives a minute.” I said. Nodding they backed up a few more feet and began having a conversation to low for me to hear. Moving into a circle we discussed whether or not we would actually believe these guys.

  
“I’d rather fuck a god damned monkey than go with them to some under ground compound.” Snapped Abraham. Nodding her head in agreement Rosita added her two cents to the conversation.

  
“How do we know they aren’t lying to us?” She asked while glancing over at them uneasily.

  
“They aren’t lying. I would know if they were.” Grumbled Daryl. Shaking my head I went back to looking through the photo-album they gave me. The pictures looked authentic and sure enough a lot of the pictures held kids in them.

  
“Their clothes are clean. That enough to prove that they have a community. Whether or not it’s the one they’re showing in the photo-album is another story.” Said Maggie. Glenn nodded his agreement. Sighing I looked at Daryl to see what he thought.

  
“We’ll give them a chance. Try for a few days. If we don’t like it and it turns out to be a bad idea we’ll leave. But for now we stay.” I said. A few of the members disagreed, but overall we turned as a group toward the brothers who stopped talking to listen to what we had to say.

  
“Y’all make up your minds?” Jack asked. They didn’t seem nervous or anxious with what our decision might be.

  
“We’ll come. But we aren’t sure if we’ll stay permanently.” I answered. Nodding they grinned at us.

  
“Great. Lets start walking then shall we?”

**Pepper’s POV**

Groaning I slowly sat up on the couch I fell asleep on. The headaches weren’t unusual and neither were the nightmares, but they still exhausted me every day. Ever since I was seventeen I would have a bad headache and a nightmare every day. Taking some aspirin I got up to do my rounds of the compound to make sure nothing had gone wrong today.

  
The compound itself was massive. Going forty five miles in each direction it could hold up to twenty thousand people, but currently housed three hundred and thirty. My family made up a large percentage of that, with the fact that all of my nine older brothers and their wives were here, my parents, six of my brothers uncles, grandparents, and cousins lived here. I blame the fact that we’re Italian on the reason why our family is so large.

  
“Hey Pep, your brothers are back with the new group. They’re in the rec center being fed.” Said the voice. Sighing I got up off the couch and grabbed a new shirt, well technically a corset, and responded tiredly.

  
“Alright I’ll be there in a moment.” I called out. Zipping up the corset that ended just above my belly button, I groaned and yanked my boots back on. Even though the world ended, it didn’t mean my fashion choices had to. All I could hope for was that the new people wouldn’t be a bunch of stuck up assholes who looked down on people who were different from them.

**Rick’s POV**

Sat down between Carl and Maggie I ate my food while occasionally giving Judith a small bite here and there. The compound was an unbelievable sight. Then there was the fact that I could here kids laughing and playing, along with what sounded like teenagers.

  
“Whats your sisters name?” Asked Carl. Looking over at him the new arrival named Jason, another one of her brothers apparently, grinned at Carl.

  
“Her full name is Pepper but you can call her Pep or Pip for short lil dude.” Jason answered.

  
“Is she nice?” Carl asked again. When I went to him to stop asking so many questions a voice spoke up behind me.

  
“Well I like to assume I’m rather pleasant.” Turning around my breath caught in my throat when I took in the woman standing maybe six feet behind me.  
Wearing leather pants, combat boots, and a corset she screamed rebellion. Her hair was a rich deep red wine color with streaks of white going through it. Covering her arms were colorful tattoos, while piercings appeared on her face like metal freckles. The most captivating tattoos however were the ones that were on her hips and lower abdomens. Two colt pythons were pointed outwards and looked almost real. Some type of quote was written in the space between them. My eyes traveled upward to corset and I had to hold back a groan. It hugged her rib-cage tightly and pushed her breasts up, making her look like some kind of sex model, yet she still held the air of rebellion and danger. Tracing my way up the column of her neck I studied her lips. They were full and looked perfect, except for the small car on the middle of her bottom lip. Then we made eye contact. Vibrant green eyes stared me down. Amusement and something else I couldn’t identify shown in them.

  
“Hello my names Pepper, it’s nice to meet all of you.”


	2. Chapter Two- Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love

**Peppers POV**

Sucking in a sharp breath I tried to not let the fact that the guy with the full beard totally turned me on. Standing up he walked toward me. Jesus Christ this guy was intense. Keeping his eyes locked onto mine he held his hand out to shake mine.

  
“Rick Grimes. Pleasure to meet you.” Rick said. Smiling lightly I shook his hand and tried not to show how much his voice alone shook me.

  
“Pepper Johnson. And the pleasure is all mine.” I drawled. Letting go of my hand he stepped back to his group and picked up the toddler he had set down. Pointing to the members of his group he introduced us. While he was doing that I took a moment to study the man in front of me.

  
Taller than me by a good few inches he was lean, not to skinny or to muscular, with dirt streaked skin that darkened his tan more. He held himself in a way that suggested he was use to having some type of authority over others. The shirt he wore was baggy and had a few holes in it but somehow it made him look all the more hot. Damn I had it bad.

  
“Ma’am? How old are you?” Looking down at the kid, I made a mental note that it was the one Rick claimed was Carl.

  
“I’m twenty five, how about you handsome?” I asked back. Blushing slightly he looked down at his plate of food.

  
“I’m fourteen ma’am.” He mumbled. Nodding I snagged an empty chair and sat down facing the group. They were all slowing down with their eating. They looked starved.

  
“So as I’m sure John told you, I currently hold the position of leader. However i’m not the main authority, there’s a council with ten people who make most of the little decisions concerning how things are run on a daily basis. But I’m the one who calls the shots when it comes to leaving the compound, who goes, and stuff like that in general.” Stopping I noticed the latina looking girl had slightly raised her hand. “Yes?”

  
“How many people are here currently?” She asked. Mulling it over, it took me a moment to think about how many were truly here.

  
“There is about three hundred and fifty, it will be three hundred and sixty one if y’all decide you want to stay with us.” I answered. Nodding her head she went back to eating her food.

  
“Was this some kind of military base?” Rick asked. Making eye contact with him it took me a moment to find his voice. Blue was the first thing that came to mind since his eyes were such a rich blue.

  
“It was, we came upon it early on when all this crap started.” I waved my hand to make the point. “And over time we found more and more survivors that seemed sane enough, all though there were some unsavory people.”

  
“Unsavory people?” The one called Father Gabriel asked. Looking toward Jason I slowly nodded my confirmation.

  
“Yes there were several group who weren’t the best um,” I paused for a second to try and figure out the correct terminology “fit with our community.” Looking at me oddly it was obvious they wanted some type of explanation for what I meant.

  
“Who were they, if you don’t mind me asking.”Asked Maggie. Sighing lightly I tried to think of a way to describe the people we found.

  
“There was the group called Woodbury who’s leader just seemed messed up in the head, Terminus who just gave me a bad feeling, the Whisperers, the Wolves who almost killed Jason, and this newer group we found called the Saviours however we haven’t learned much about them but they don’t seem all that sane either.” Listing off the groups Rick had an odd look on his face.

  
“You knew about Woodbury?” Rick asked. He seemed almost like he couldn’t believe what I was telling him. Nodding I went to answer him.

  
“Yes we did, there was another group who lived in a prison but they seemed to be doing alright so we left them alone. However we went back about a week or so ago and it was overrun and burned down in some parts. Same with Woodbury.” Staring at me they seemed to be in shock. “What?”

  
“We lived in the prison. When the Governor lost Woodbury him and a small group attacked the prison.” Glenn said quietly. Well shit in a hand basket that’s ironic. Huffing out a small laugh I looked at Jason who seemed just as shocked as I was.

  
“Enough of that depressing shit, lets go show y’all to your new homes.”

Ricks POV

Walking next to Pepper was a blessing and a torture. She came up to my collarbone even in her combat boots and walked with an air of authority. The scent of rasberries and gunpowder seemed to stick to her skin. I tried my hardest to listen as she told us about the houses we would be given.

  
“Each home has about five bedrooms, but since y’all have such a large group we went ahead and gave you one of the thirty conjoined homes we have. They each have five bedrooms and three bathrooms. In each home there’s a basket in the kitchen that has a notebook with every households number including mine, a map to help you get around, as well as keys to the two cars assigned to each house.” She listed off easily. Walking for a few more minutes she answered any of the questions we had. Approaching a large home she turned toward us.

  
“This is ours?” Asked Carol. Smiling she nodded and handed me the keys to them.

  
“Yes ma’am you should have two months worth of food but if you need more you can go down to the rec center to get more and work out a deal with Sin. There is also the library where you can get movies and other things to watch if you get bored.” Pepper said.

  
“Thank you. For everything.” I said to her. Making eye contact we held each others stare for a moment before she slowly nodded.

  
“You’re welcome Rick. I’ll leave you alone so you can get settled. My sister-in-law will be here around three with stuff for miss Judith here.” Smiling at Judith she began walking away. Turning away from her we walked into the first house to try and get used to the fact that we might actually be safe here for once. I also tried to get the image of her walking away out of my head. God help me.


	3. Chapter Three- When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed them

**Peppers POV**

“You like him don’t you?” Pausing what I was doing I turned to see my brother Jason. Jason was older than me by a year, so naturally I was closest to him out of all my siblings.

  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Turning around I went back to washing the dishes. I had left Rick and his group about an hour ago to explore their new homes. Hopefully they liked it enough to stay.

  
“What I mean is you haven’t looked at anyone since-” Cutting my brother off I whirled around and pointed a knife at him.

  
“Don’t you fucking dare say his name.” I hissed out. He would not bring him up. The memories began to come back but I refused to think about them. Never again.  
Raising his hands in surrender Jason stared at me for a few moments till I slowly turned back to what I was doing.

  
“All I’m saying Pep is that he’s been on the outside since the beginning. He views things differently than me or you would. If you’re going to start something with him, go slow.” Jason said. With that he left. Grinding my teeth I finished what was left of my dishes. I hated when he was right. People who joined us after being on the outside were always more twitchy, mentally worried. More than anything their mental state took a toll on them. Shaking my head I started to clean the rest of my kitchen. Then there was a knock on my door. Surprised I went to the front of the house, and promptly felt my body temperature kick up a few notches.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Rick said. The first thing that came to mind was that he shaved. And it made him look damn near edible.

  
“No not at all.” Stepping back I moved so he could come in. “Come on in. Would you like something to drink?” Shaking his head he stepped into my home and followed me to my kitchen-dining room.

  
“I’m good thanks.” Nodding I gestured for him to take a seat across from me. Studying him for a moment it was obvious he had some type authority with his group. He looked around my home, well what he was able to see anyways. “This is one of the smaller ones I saw while I was walking here.”

  
“Ya it is. This house is only three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I didn’t need or want some huge giant house that I had no business living in when others needed them.” Oh god I was rambling again. Nodding he gave me a small barely there smile.

  
“I wanted to thank you. We were lost both physically and mentally.” Rick stated. Blinking lightly I smiled back.

  
“Its no problem Rick. You guys have kids with you, and you guys are good people. And remember if you want to leave at any point you’re free to do so.” I wanted to bite my own tongue with the last portion. The thought of Rick leaving left me feeling sick.

  
“I also wanted to know if you had any doctors.” Rick said. Nodding I leaned back and grabbed the phone book.

  
“Ya we have a team of them including some counselors if you guys need someone to talk to here’s where their numbers are.” Showing him where he could find it I smiled at him. “You can also come to me with any concerns.”

  
“Really?” Rick sounded skeptical. Nodding I made eye contact and had to find my voice for a moment.

  
“Ya I was a psychology student. I wanted to be a psychiatrist when I was younger.” Nodding slowly Rick kept eye contact with me.  
“So you wanted to pick people apart?” Rick asked.

  
“I like trying to figure out how people tick. Your group is a little for challenging in terms of body language but still open enough I could do it.” With my statement rose an eyebrow.

  
“Really? Do me than. Let me see what you got.” My eyes narrowed at the blatant challenge in his voice. Little did he know id been picking him apart since I first looked at him.

  
“Before the end of the world you held some form of authority over people, like a cop or judge. I’m leaning more toward cop. Judging how you hold yourself says a lot of what you might be like in bed but not for certain. My educated guess is you like to be the more dominant partner in the bedroom. Pinning down, dirty talk, things like that probably get you off. Which leads to your preferred type of wife or husband. You were married since on your left hand where a wedding ring would be is vacant with only a pale spot. So either your wife or husband was to submissive for you which led to divorce, or they’re currently dead. With the aura of authority you wouldn’t like someone who either blatantly didn’t listen, trust, or even hear you. This could form into a cheating situation. So overall Rick you’re the type of person who thrives with complete control over what happens, because that was your job.” Finishing my estimation I noticed his eyes were darker than before. Not with anger but with something else.

  
“I was a sheriff before all this. I was married, she was Carl and Judith’s mother who died having Judith in the prison. So I guess you were right Pepper.” God I loved the way he said my name. Standing up he nodded at me. “I should get back to them, I’ve been gone awhile.”

  
“What about my guess of what you like in bed.” I sounded way to sultry just then. Taking a few steps into my personal space he loomed over me. Not in a threatening way but a sexual way. He smelled like woods, smoke, and something distinctly him. Leaning down a little bit he murmured the answer quietly.

  
“You were abs-fucking-lutely right Pepper.” Rick murmured. With that he straightened up, smiled at me again and left. Exhaling slowly I tried to regulate not only my heart beat but my thoughts. If I didn’t know better I would say Rick would be the death of me. For some reason that thought was a comfort.


	4. Chapter Four- Pars maior lacrimas ridet et intus habet

**Ricks POV**

 

Sitting at the dining room table it most of my self control to not go back to Peppers home. The smell of raspberries was clearer the closer you were to her. The look in her eyes when she picked me apart in her home about killed me. Also made my cock harder than a rock.

“They let us keep our guns. Hell I saw a lady walking down the road with a shotgun.” Maggie said. We were all still mystified over the fact that they were letting us keep our weapons. In the first house there was a large safe along with three smaller ones spread out around the house.

“More than likely safety is big concern with them.” I said. Re-assembling my gun I looked up when there was a knock at the door. Immediately everyone went alert and watchful. It was Tara who opened the door to reveal someone who honestly looked like she belonged in a tattoo shop.

“Hi y’all! I’m Saiya, Peppers sister-in-law. John is my husband and I believe him and Jack brought you here?” She introduced and was surprisingly friendly.

“Yes he was. Come on in please.” Tara so Saiya could walk into the house. Smiling at all of us she walked in and place what looked like a large basket on the table near me.

“We have some old baby things that Pepper thought you guys would need for lil miss Judith. There’s diapers, clothes, food, toys, and some books. I wasn’t sure what you needed so I just brought it all.” Saiya smiled at all of us before turning to me. “You’re Rick yes?”

“I am it’s nice to meet you.” Standing up I shook her hand.

“My baby was right, you are intense. Giving me shivers over.” Grinning playfully she turned away from me to meet the others.

“If you don’t mind me asking, many siblings does Pepper have?” Rosita asked. It seemed like the group was getting comfortable if they were taking an interest in the people here. Saiya got a thoughtful look like she was trying to remember the exact number.

“Nine if I’m correct it may be more.” Saiya said. “And they’re all men and all overprotective of Pep since she’s the youngest and the only girl.” Well shit.

“That’s a lot kids to keep track of.” Daryl noted. Saiya nodded her agreement before turning back towards.

“Well Mr. intense eyes, I gotta get back to my hubby lord knows how he gets when I’m gone to long. Like a fucking bitch in heat that can’t get enough dick if you ask me.” Waving at us she walked out of the house shutting the front door softly behind her. Turning to me Maggie’s eyes were wide.

“Wow.” Was all she said. Nodding I stepped out of the back door onto the elevated porch. The backyard was huge, and it came with outdoor seating for adults, and a play area for kids. Taking a deep breath I tried to let my thoughts play out. Pepper was my number one thought which threw me off balance a bit. When Lori died I just threw myself into the well-being of the prison and that of Judith and Carl, I didn’t have time for a lover. But now I was re-thinking that.

“Ya know it’s obvious you like her.” Daryl said simply. Leaning on the porch next to me he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. Scoffing slightly I looked down at my hands before looking straight a head of me.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about Dixon.” It was his turn to scoff at me. It was silent for a few moments which let my mind wander back to Pepper. There was something about her that both turned me on and made me want to tuck her into my chest where I could protect me. She just seemed so tiny, and fragile. I knew she wasn’t, hell just the way she held herself communicated the fact that she was more than able to take care of her self.

“I claim the attic thing as my room by the way. The rest of y’all can fight over who goes where.” Daryl said before standing straight and walking back into the house. Sighing lightly I shook my head and headed inside as well to help everyone try and get settled in the new home.

 

**Peppers POV**

 

_All I could do was groan and try to move away. Pain slashed through my head, my arms, everywhere. He’s gonna kill me was all I could think. Forcing my body to get up I stumbled toward the door to get away. To go anywhere but here._

_“Pepper baby I’m_ _sorry. Please come here.” Panic blasted through me. No, no, no. I can’t let him get me no. Panicking I hid in the small closet I was sure he had no idea about. My left eye was swelling shut, and the rest of my body just hurt. I could still here him outside of the closet. No, please god no I don’t want to die._

_“Pepper! This is the last time i’m gonna ask. Where the fuck are you?” He shouted from what sounded like the living room. Clamping a hand over my mouth I barely held back a sob. Than the next thing I knew the door was ripped open and he stood there. “There you are.” Grabbing me by the hair he yanked me from the closet ripping a scream from my throat._

 

Sitting bolt right up I let out a soft sob as I tried to get my breathing under control. The nightmares of that night still messed me up, but usually I could ignore them. Letting out a soft sob I pressed my back to the wall and dragged the blanket on my bed higher up my legs to rest around my hips.

“Why me?” Was all I could say. My voice was barely a whisper in the room. That was the last thing I could say before sobs took over, racking my body as I tried to drown out the sound of him yelling at me, the feeling of him touching me, and the feeling of his breath on my face. 


	5. Chapter Five Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality

Peppers POV

Laying in bed staring at the wall I tried to keep my wits and not break down. The nightmares had been consistent but I haven’t dreamed of that night in over two years. Shaking my head I saw that it was six am. Yanking myself out of bed I headed to the bathroom to shower, when I caught a glimpse of my colt python tattoos. Images of Rick flooded my mind, warming my cheeks slightly.  
“Jesus Christ I need therapy. Or dick. Both sounds good.”

Rick’s POV

Her lips were pressed to mine as a I held myself above her. Pulling away I nipped my way down her neck to the swell of her breasts. Hands gripped my hair while slim legs wrapped tightly around my hips. Growling softly I bit her breast harder than necessary gaining a moan from her. Yanked back to her mouth I nipped her lip sharply. Slipping my hand down her waist to her hips and was about to slide my hand into her panties when she called out my name and-  
“Rick?” Shaking myself out of sleep I looked up from my position on the couch to see Carol standing there.   
“Ya whats up.” Standing up I tried to stretch the soreness out of my joints. The dream about Pepper caught me off guard. I haven’t had a dream like that since I was a teenager.   
“We were going to go to the community breakfast. Pepper told me that a large percentage of the people here go to them including her.” Carol stated. Nodding I grabbed a bag of my clothes and walked toward the bathroom adjacent from the area I had been sleeping in. Changing clothes quickly I walked out picking up Judith as we all prepared to go to breakfast.

Peppers POV

Standing patiently in line for food I could here people walking up behind me. Turning around I had to take a moment to keep from losing it. Rick was standing close enough to where I could clearly see his eyes and the lines around his mouth and eyes. God it was so unfair at how gorgeous he was.   
“Morning.” Rick greeted. Smiling slightly at him I tried to make sure it wasn’t obvious I was attracted to him.  
“Morning to you too. How did you sleep?” Moving forward in the line I went to grab a tray when Rick beat me to it. Handing me one he smiled back at me.  
“Slept better than I have lately to be honest. I wanted to thank you again for not only the baby clothes and letting us stay here, but for being so welcoming.” Rick stated softly. Smiling I nudged him lightly with my shoulder.  
“It’s honestly no problem Rick. I was wondering though where is your group? I figured since you’re here they would be as well.” I asked curiously. Sighing lightly he tilted his head in the direct of the further corner of the large room. Turning briefly I was able to see them huddled up in the corner looking extremely tense.   
“They’re still getting used to the idea that we’re safe here and that nothing’s going to happen.” Rick said softly. Nodding I got the food I wanted with Rick following my lead.   
“If it isn’t to personal of a question, where is Judith’s mother? Judging by how old she looks there’s no way she was born before the change happened.” I asked curiously. A haunted and sad look crossed Rick’s eyes for a brief moment before the emotion was tucked away.   
“My wife gave birth to her at the prison. She died during labor.” Sucking in a sharp breath I tried to think of something to say.  
“I’m so sorry.” Was all I could come up with. Smiling at me Rick shook his head lightly.  
“It’s fine, really. Before I forget would you like to sit with us?” Rick asked. Staring him down for a moment it was obvious in his face that id be sitting with him whether I wanted to or not.   
“Of course.” I was so fucked.   
  
Ricks POV

Walking back towards the table where my group sat I snuck a look at Pepper. She walked as if she didn’t have a care in the world whatsoever. Confidence and a sense of danger poured from her in waves just like the her attitude. I was worried on how the group would take to her seeing as she seemed to not care about others opinions of her. However I didn’t have time to really think on it as we quickly approached the table.   
“Y’all remember Pepper. She agreed to sit with us today.” Sitting down next to Carl I watched her sit next to me. She was between me and Daryl who nodded at her politely.   
“It’s good to see y’all out and about. Truthfully I didn’t expect it. Most people who come from the outside usually stay in their homes for a few weeks or until they run out of food.” Pepper greeted.   
“How come your family seems to think they own this place?” Asked Rosita. It was obvious the two wouldn’t get along anytime soon.  
“Rosita.” I cautioned. Pepper wouldn’t back off no matter how hard Rosita tried. Besides if it came down to it, Rosita would get seriously injured if she tried to take on Pepper. Chewing her food Pepper locked eyes with her and held the eye contact. It was unnerving seeing how Pepper showed no real emotion. She didn’t even look mildly annoyed.  
“My family doesn’t run this place. I do. There’s a difference, I wouldn’t expect you to know it though.” Still holding Rosita’s pissed off stare Pepper simply rose an eyebrow at her. Pissing her off further Pepper gave her a look of pity and asked, “What am I wrong?”   
“How dare you? You little fuckin-” I cut Rosita off before she could finish her sentence.  
“That’s enough. You started it and I’m ending it. Pepper and her people have been nice enough to allow us here. Now knock it off.” Snorting quietly into drink Glenn grinned at me slightly.  
“It’s fine Rick.” Pepper assured me. Taking a drink of her coffee she patted my hand lightly. “I don’t expect their automatic respect. Really I don’t.”   
“It still doesn’t give them the right to be rude to you.” Smiling at me Pepper patted my arm again. Thats when Carol leaned forward to talk to her.  
“So how many siblings do you have? Your sister in law said you had a lot.” Carol asked. And like most of the tension was gone as people went to go get food. Sighing I started eating my food. Hopefully no one would notice how I tried to subtly shift myself closer toward Pepper. 


End file.
